Shinto

Most scholars agree that there was at least one migration from East Asia and perhaps another from Central Asia to the ancient Japanese Archipelago, though there is no consensus as to where Shinto first developed.Some of the basical elements of modern Shinto have been traced also to the Yayoi period as a cultural product of immigrants from China through the Korean Peninsula, who brought agricultural and shamanic ceremonies from the continent, which took on Japanese forms in the new environment.

Though clan rivalry led to friction and fighting during the introduction of Buddhism the worship of kami and the teachings of the Buddha soon settled into coexistence. In fact syncretism between Buddhism and Shinto was supposed to become the dominant feature of Japanese religion as a whole.

The introductions of writing in the 5th century and Buddhism in the 6th century from the Korean had a profound impact on development of a unified system of the Shinto beliefs.

With the introduction of Buddhism and it is rapid adoption by the court it was necessary to explain the apparent differences between native Japanese beliefs and the Buddhist teachings. Indeed, Shinto did not have a name until it became necessary to distinguish it from Buddhism.One explanation saw the kami as supernatural beings still caught in the cycle of birth and rebirth. The kami are born, live, die, and are reborn like all other beings in the karmic cycle.


Shinto is an ancient Japanese religion. Starting about 500 BCE it was originally an amorphous mix of nature worship, fertility cults, divination techniques, hero worship, and shamanism. Its name was derived from the Chinese words "shin tao" "The Way of the Gods" in the 8th Century . At that time:
The Yamato dynasty consolidated it is rule over most of Japan.
Divine origins were ascribed to imperial family.
Shinto established itself as an official religion of Japan and along with Buddhism.


Unlike most other religions, Shinto has no real founder, no written scriptures, no body of religious law and only a loosely organized priesthood.


Bibliography:
Where is shinto?
http://images.google.co.id/images?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4ADBS_enID234ID234&q=japan&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi
Accessed on 30/09/07.

Shinto pictures
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=shinto&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi
Accessed on 30/09/07.

Shinto
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto, http://www.religioustolerance.org/shinto.htm
Accessed on 30/09/07.